


Bar Fight

by RegalPotato



Category: Galavant (TV)
Genre: F/M, Implied Threats of Rape, Injury Recovery, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-05-30 19:43:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6437770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegalPotato/pseuds/RegalPotato
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“That’s what we’re going to do. I’m taking you to the sleaziest tavern in Valencia to get you a new birthday scar.”</p>
<p>What if the sleaziest tavern in Valencia didn’t fear the Crown? What if they hated them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I always thought that wonderfully ridiculous bar scene in 2x06 would be vastly different if they went to a proper sleazy tavern, so here we are.

Madalena jolted slightly in surprise as they entered the tavern just as an axe embedded itself into a keg by the wall. She swallowed, pushing down the fear that had shuddered through her, and forced herself to continue walking. She was here to make Gareth’s birthday great. That’s all that mattered.

“Crown!” A male voice shouted from inside and the rowdy sounds quietened to a disgruntled murmur.

Madalena forced a smile onto her face.

“So,” she clapped her hands together as she walked further into the room, Gareth by her side. “How does this whole ‘bar fight’ thing work?”

The tavern _stank_. The tables, the benches, and the floor were all covered in a thick layer of grime – built up from days of spilled drinks and emptied stomachs. Madalena winced in disgust. Her eyes flicked over to the men occupying the tavern. They were silently watching her and Gareth and the looks on their faces were beginning to make Madalena uncomfortable.

“Well, usually we have a pint or two - and then I catch someone looking at me, I insult his mother, and then away we go.” Gareth grinned.

“Oh good. Let’s start.” She might have been there to give Gareth his birthday present, but that didn’t mean she wanted to stick around the filthy place all day.

The men were still watching them, no fear or worry evident at the presence of their King and Queen. Madalena wasn’t sure how to feel about that. People were always scared of her. And people were most certainly always scared of Gareth. She glanced around, finally spotting a heavyset man who seemed unsure about them.

“Oh, what about him?” Madalena asked, leaning into Gareth’s side and pointing at the man. “He gave you a momentary glance.”

“Mmm, did he?” Gareth grinned, leering at the man as he walked towards him.

“Oi!” Gareth shouted, hitting the man hard on the shoulder. The man stood up, face full of fear. “You got a problem?”

“Uh, um, not at all, your um Highness.” He stuttered.

Madalena frowned. That wasn’t the sort of response that usually led to a fight.

“Well, you should!” She said, looking the man over and moving closer to Gareth. “King Gareth just called your mother a two-bit hussy.”

“He what now?!” A different man spoke, standing up to tower over them.

“Yeah,” Gareth smirked. “What you gonna do about it?”

The man stepped away from his seat, moving to stand in front of the guy Madalena assumed was his brother. He was built – arms and shoulders rippling with muscle – and a large bastard sword was slung against his hip. 

“Well first off, I’m wondering why you brought her with you,” the man growled, nodding in Madalena’s direction. “Need a woman to fight your battles now you’re King?”

A chorus of cheers rang out from around them, men hollering and whooping at the man’s insult. Gareth’s face scrunched in anger.

“You wanna say that again?” He snarled.

“Yeah, _your Majesty,_ ” the man replied, the sarcasm evident. “I think you’ve gone soft. Come here to prove yourself to your whore?”

Madalena’s mouth dropped open in shock. How _dare_ he speak to his King like that, and more importantly, how dare he speak about _her_ like that. Well, at least Gareth was going to get his birthday fight.

“Or did you bring her here so she could see what a real man’s like?” The man turned to ogle her, tongue flicking out to wet his lips in an unmistakable display. “We could give her a real good time, couldn’t we boys?”

The men surrounding them – had they moved closer? – cheered again and Madalena’s fear resurfaced, filling her stomach with a sense of dread. Maybe this hadn’t been the best idea now that Gareth was royalty.

Madalena smiled sarcastically at them, hoping false bravado would make them back down. But the man just laughed, a sickening grin appearing on his face. Gareth’s hand moved out in front of her, pushing her slightly behind him, before moving to rest on the hilt of his sword. Madalena found herself digging her hands into his belt.

“Leave her out of this.” Gareth growled and a shiver ran through her at how furious he sounded.

“You’re outnumbered here, Crown.” The man sneered, and a few more men stood up from their seats. “Give the Queen to us and we’ll finish you off quickly.”

Madalena’s eyes widened with panic. This had definitely been a terrible idea. Maybe she should have given Gareth someone to torture instead. Because regardless of how good a fighter she knew Gareth was, there were at least a dozen men standing around them and drawing their swords.

“When I say ‘run’ run.” Gareth ordered her under his breath.

Before she’d even registered his words, Gareth had drawn his sword and imbedded it in the man’s chest. The man coughed, choking on the blood welling up in his mouth, too surprised to do anything but die. Madalena gasped, brows furrowing in fear, and pulled herself closer to Gareth.

“Run!” Gareth yelled, grabbing her arm and shoving her forcefully in the direction of the tavern door.

The rest of the men in the tavern were too angry at him to bother with their Queen. She got to the door unhindered and turned around. Gareth was completely surrounded by a handful of men, weapons all drawn and directed towards him, their faces furious. If Madalena left now, Gareth would be dead before she reached the castle. She took a deep breath.

“Wow, no wonder we invaded this kingdom so easily. It takes this many of you just to have enough balls to stand up to one man…” Madalena laughed, leaning against the doorway with a forced look of disinterest on her face.

At once, the entire group turned to face her, including Gareth. He looked at her incredulously, fear flashing across his face. The emotion shocked her for a moment before Madalena realised he wasn’t scared for himself, he was scared they’d hurt her. She swallowed heavily, making sure she was in a good position to start running if necessary, and smirked at the men.

“How many Valencian men does it take to kill their King?” She looked down at her hands, pretending to inspect her nails and hoping they couldn’t see how much she was shaking. “There aren’t enough Valencian men left.”

She laughed loudly and mockingly at her terrible joke. Gareth, finally realising what she was doing, used her distraction to take out three of the men closest to him with quick efficient blows. Those remaining hesitated for a moment, seemingly unsure as to which one of the royals to go for first. Their pause allowed Gareth to take down another two, before they realised that he was the crucial target.

The remaining men all turned back to Gareth. Madalena’s breath caught in her throat as they surged forwards as one, swords and axes raised against their King. But Gareth ducked to the side and raised his own weapon, causing most of the men to miss and parrying the blades of the others. He kicked the leg of the guy nearest to him, causing the man to drop to the floor and receive a downward swing of Gareth’s blade to the neck.

Madalena watched with horror, eyes searching for a way to help. She caught sight of the axe embedded into the ale keg and a small smile flickered at the corners of her mouth. She grabbed the axe handle and pulled; it didn’t budge. Behind her, Gareth managed to down two more of the men surrounding him. She pulled again and this time the axe wiggled slightly. Madalena swore under her breath, braced her feet, and pulled as hard as she could.

The axe came flying free, almost hitting her in the head, and clattered to the floor. One of the men advancing on Gareth jerked his head round at the sound, turning to face her. His eyebrows rose in surprise, apparently shocked that the Queen would try and fight them. He stalked towards her, a dark smile appearing on his face, twirling his sword in his hand.

Madalena clenched her jaw. The axe was between her and the man. She didn’t have a chance at grabbing it. She could see Gareth still fighting four men at once, meaning he wasn’t going to be saving her any time soon. She inhaled sharply.

Making sure the man was still looking at her she smiled slowly, tilting her head slightly to the side. His brows furrowed and Madalena bit her bottom lip, twirling a strand of hair through her fingers. He smirked and stepped closer, sword dropping loosely to his side. Madalena swallowed thickly and closed the gap between them. She held back a wince as he leant towards her, disgustingly close to her face, the smell of his rotten breath invading her senses.

Fear running through her, she ducked abruptly and lunged for the man’s dagger, ripping it out of its sheath and plunging it into his side. The man yelled in shock and pain. Anger burst over his face and he pushed Madalena away from him to raise his sword. She stepped backwards, turning to run, but it was too late, the sword was already swinging towards her. Madalena closed her eyes, waiting for the pain, but instead a warm, solid, and familiar body pushed in front of her, blocking the blow. She opened her eyes in time to see Gareth thrusting his sword into the man.

She released a sigh of relief, almost collapsing into Gareth. He grunted and stumbled forwards and as she moved to stand in front of him Madalena realised that Gareth had actually taken the blow meant for her, a large gash appearing across his collar bone, bubbling red with blood.

“Oh God…” she breathed out, her mind running blank as Gareth bent to one knee. “No, no. Get up!”

Gareth didn’t move. Madalena looked around for help but all she could see was the dead or severely wounded.

“Gareth?” She asked almost timidly, but gathered no response.

She bent down and hefted one of his arms over her shoulders. Pulling with everything she had left in her, Madalena managed to stagger to her feet, bringing Gareth with her. Together they lurched out of the tavern and into the Valencian streets.

Her side felt worryingly warm and when she looked down she gasped shakily in alarm; the wound to Gareth’s collar bone was bad. His blood wouldn’t stop flowing, dripping down over his shoulder and soaking into her dress, her hair, her skin; he was colouring her red with his life and all she could think was if he died she would burn Valencia to the ground. Madalena suddenly realised with dawning horror, that maybe she more than just liked Gareth. She quickly shoved the thought aside, dwelling on emotions was a stupid and pointless thing to do, and focussed on the task at hand - getting Gareth back to the castle and finding him a healer.

Gareth’s weight was heavy against her, but Madalena could tell he was putting the last of his energy into stumbling towards the castle. The tavern they had gone to was on the other side of the town, which was probably why it had the reputation of being the sleaziest tavern in the kingdom, full of criminals and anti-royalists. But it meant, if Gareth gave in before they reached the stone walls, she knew without a doubt that she wouldn’t be able to help him.

“Come on,” she muttered, more to herself than to him.

He staggered slightly and they almost went down, Madalena heaving with all her strength to keep them both upright.

“Come on,” she growled it this time, pulling Gareth’s arm tighter over her shoulder.

She managed to half carry him through the town - fully intending on halving what was left of the Valencian population for not helping her - until she could finally see the tops of the castle towers behind the nearby buildings. Madalena let out a sigh of relief; they were almost there.

When they reached the outskirts of the castle walls Gareth’s strength finally gave out, sending them both crumpling into the dirt. Madalena cried out as his body collapsed on top of hers, his blood still soaking through their clothing and tinting the ground dark red. He was paler than she’d ever seen him, looking sickly in the waning daylight – she knew he’d lost too much blood. Madalena couldn’t breathe and she wasn’t sure it was Gareth’s weight pressing down on her that was the problem.

Then suddenly, he was being lifted off her and Madalena had never been so thankful for the loyalty of Gareth’s men.

“Get him inside,” she choked out. “Send for every healer you can.”

The guards holding Gareth nodded gravely at her before lifting him up and carrying him into the castle. Another guard bent down to help Madalena to her feet.

“I’m fine,” she snapped, clambering to stand and wiping flecks of blood – Gareth’s blood – off her face.

She smoothed down her dress, wincing as her hands wiped through blood, and stalked into the castle, head held high.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a stupid, _stupid_ idea. What had they been thinking, walking into a royal hating tavern wearing their crowns and dressed in regal clothing? She’d just wanted to give him a great birthday, as her fancy presents hadn’t been any good, and now he was going to die.

At first, she had barged her way into Gareth’s room, demanding that the summoned healers did everything they could under grievous threat of death. But eventually, even Madalena had realised her panicked presence was doing more harm than good, especially as the sight of Gareth deathly pale and unmoving made her feel sick to her stomach.

She’d retired to her own chambers and sent out orders; orders to burn the tavern and surrounding buildings to ash, orders to raise the people’s taxes, orders to enforce a midnight curfew - the breaking of which resulted in a visit to the castle dungeons. If Valencia wanted Gareth dead, they could damn well suffer for it. And if any of the guards thought she was over reacting, they cleverly kept the idea to themselves.

When all that was done, Madalena had begun to pace.

And she’d been pacing for hours. She couldn’t sit still, not when Gareth was lying on his death bed in the other room. None of the healers had come to see her since she’d left. And she didn’t know what that meant. Were they still working on him? Or was he dead and they were too scared to bring her the news?

Her chest felt disgustingly tight at the thought and Madalena wondered how people got through life with feelings always getting in the way. And the guilt? She hadn’t felt guilt since she’d had to murder her pet goat as a kid. Not even rejecting Galavant to marry Richard had made her feel like this. But Gareth was dying because of her, because he’d protected her from a situation she had put them in. Anger bubbled to the surface and Madalena’s favourite vase was in pieces on the ground before she realised what she was doing. She stared blankly at the shards littering the floor, the anger leaving her as quickly as it had come.

She collapsed to her bed, sitting solemnly in the moonlight filtering through the window, and let out an angry and frustrated sigh. Madalena was about to give up waiting and go see what was happening for herself when a gentle knock sounded on her door.

“Yes?” She whispered, before coughing to clear her throat and speaking louder. “Yes?”

The door inched open and a small pathetic looking man wormed his way into the room. Blood stained the front of his clothing and Madalena’s throat tightened with worry at the sight of it.

“Is he okay?” She demanded, ignoring how unsteady her voice sounded, and stood from her seat at the edge of her bed.

The man bowed his head.

“He’s alive.”

Madalena let out a shaky breath, tension fleeing her body at the man’s words. She rushed forwards, intent on seeing Gareth for herself, but the man flung out an arm to stop her. She glared at him and he flinched back as if she’d hit him.

“He’s alive, my Queen. But he’s not out of danger just yet,” he explained. “He lost a lot of blood. _If_ King Gareth makes it through the night, the odds are slightly better, but the risk of infection is still a massive problem.”

“So can I see him or not?” She snapped.

The man flinched again, but nodded his head and dropped his arm to allow her to pass. Madalena stormed out of her room and down the corridor. When she reached Gareth’s door, she froze. Her fist hovered in the air, posed to knock on the wood, before she realised how stupid she was being and flattened her hand to push the door open instead.

Madalena recoiled when the stale air in the room assaulted her senses. She could smell blood, vomit, and God knew what else. Bloodied rags lay strewn across the floor and nearby surfaces, and bowls of reddened water sat near the foot of the bed. Her eyes flicked up to the prone figure lying in the sheets. Regardless of how Madalena felt about him – which was not important right now – seeing Gareth looking so close to death was _wrong_.

She straightened her shoulders, let out a short breath, and walked over to the bed. The servants who were tending to Gareth scattered as she approached, leaving the two of them alone. Madalena sat in the chair next to the head of the bed, her shoulders slumping as she took in his appearance. Scars littered his chest, some small and light, others dark and ugly, but they were nothing compared to the long red line - broken up by the healers’ stitches - that ran from the point where his neck met shoulder, over his collar bone and down to the edge of his armpit. It was a miracle that Gareth was alive at all.

He was breathing raggedly, his chest stuttering as it rose and fell and his skin looked clammy and pale. Madalena reached for his hand and hesitated, not even sure why she was sitting there. Her presence wouldn’t magically make Gareth better, so why was she sat in a dark and stinking room, worrying over whether she should touch him or not.

She hesitated for a moment longer before her hand grasped his. Gareth was going to make it through the night; somehow, she’d make sure of it.

\--

“Hey.”

A hoarse voice woke Madalena from the fitful sleep she’d apparently managed to fall into. She opened her eyes to find her forehead resting on Gareth’s arm. Lifting her head, regretting it the moment sunlight hit her, Madalena groaned and sat up, stretching out her neck and shoulders as she did so. It took her a moment to remember what had woken her and she jerked her head round in surprise to find Gareth’s eyes open and locked on her.

“Gareth!” She tore her hand from his, grasping her hands together on her lap, as embarrassment flooded through her and heat rushed to her cheeks. “I uh…”

Madalena looked around, finding no one and no thing that could explain why she had fallen asleep at his bedside. She swallowed dryly, standing up and moving to smooth down her dress. Gareth’s eyes widened slightly at the sight and Madalena realised she’d never bothered to change out of her ruined dress; from the neck down her skin, hair, and clothing were still caked with his blood.  

“You’re buying me a new dress,” she snapped, though it didn’t come out quite as harsh as intended.

Ignoring his confused look, Madalena turned and left the room intent on finding one of the healers and informing them that Gareth was awake. She wasn’t escaping the situation, because that would be ridiculous.

She stalked through the corridors, the servants fearfully dodging out of her way. Covered in blood and face set like stone, Madalena must have looked like a demon from hell. _Good_. She flung open the doors to the chambers she’d given the healers, and they all turned to her in surprise.

“King Gareth is still alive and he’s awake. Make sure he stays that way.” She commanded.

The four men and their assistants all jumped to their feet, grabbing supplies from around the room before rushing past her to tend to their King. Slowly, she followed the healers back to Gareth’s room.

When she arrived, her mouth opened slightly in disbelief at the sight in front of her. Gareth was half out of bed, two of the healers trying – and failing – to get him to lie back down.

“What the hell are you doing?” Madalena shouted, fury flooding through her.

“Trying to find where you ran off to,” Gareth replied weakly.

Madalena’s eyebrows rose for a moment before pinching together in anger. She stormed towards him, the healers giving up their battle and jumping out of her way, and placed a decidedly not gentle hand to his uninjured left shoulder.

Gareth winced.

“You almost died yesterday, you idiot.” She said, pushing heavily against his shoulder to get him to lie back against the pillows.

He yielded to her, before staring up at her in confusion and Madalena realised her hand was still resting on his chest. She jerked back as if she’d been burned and coughed, turning to face the healers.

“If he gives you any trouble, send for me.” She smiled at them, giving a pointed glance at Gareth, and left the room – heart pounding furiously in her chest.

\--

Gareth was bored. Really, truly bored. He’d been in bed all day with only the healers and their various assistants for company. And they were too scared of him, or maybe Madalena, to talk to him about anything other than his recovery. He sighed, wincing as the movement aggravated his injury – which was already beginning to heal, the continued application of the healers’ poultices apparently working wonders. Even the stupid Court would be better than just lying in bed with nothing but his thoughts; though that probably had more to do with Madalena being there than with the problems of the peasants who attended.

He hadn’t seen Madalena since she’d brought the healers to him that morning. She had been acting off; something was wrong and it had him worried. Though Gareth had to admit, waking up to see her head pillowed on his arm had been a pleasant surprise.

“King Gareth?” One of the assistants, a timid girl he knew to be called Avery, stepped towards his bed carrying a wooden cup. “Healer Mezzia says you need to drink this to help fight off infection and regain your strength.”

She held the cup out to him and he could see the foul smelling green liquid within. He grimaced.

“Where’s the Queen?” He asked instead, ignoring the proffered cup.

The girl’s eyes flicked haltingly towards the medicine, averting Gareth’s gaze.

“She is attending to the Court, your Majesty.”

“It’s evening. She usually gives up by early afternoon.”

“I…if you forgive my brashness, Sire, I overheard the guards talking.”

Gareth’s brows knitted together in confusion, but he nodded for Avery to continue.

“They say the Queen is beside herself with worry for you. The guards think she’s trying to distract herself.” She paused for a moment, as if wondering just how much to tell him. “Half of Valencia is in ruin because of her anger. The other half is suffering just as terribly.”

He found himself smiling.

“That’s my girl.” He murmured to himself.

“Sire?”

Remembering what Madalena had told the healers before she’d left his rooms, Gareth smiled at Avery, eyes moving from the medicine to her face.

“I’m not drinking that.” He said.

“B-b-but your Majesty, you h-have to.” She stammered.

Gareth shrugged, leaning back against his pillows. Avery looked panicked for a moment and he sighed realising he’d have to be a bit more obvious.

“Just have the guards send for the Queen. Tell them I’m giving you trouble.”

At his words, understanding dawned on the girl’s face, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She nodded, placing the wooden cup down on his nightstand, and left the room.

Barely ten minutes had passed when his bedroom door slammed open and Madalena, clean from the blood, dirt, and grime he’d seen her in that morning, stormed angrily into the room. Even, or especially, angry she was beautiful. Gareth grinned.

“Alright, Queenie? Where have you been all day?”

“Busy running a kingdom, Gareth,” she snapped. “The guards tell me you’re not listening to the healers?”

He shrugged non-committedly and Madalena glowered at him.

“Wanted me to drink that stuff.” He jerked his head towards the cup on his nightstand. “Not happening.”

Madalena bit her bottom lip irritably, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she appeared slightly calmer – less likely to murder him in his sleep. Stalking forwards, she grabbed the cup violently off his nightstand and held it out to him.

“It’s green.” He scowled.

“Gareth, if you get an infection because you didn’t drink this, I will kill you myself. Now stop being a woman and drink the bloody medicine.” She yelled, voice cracking slightly.

“Is everything okay?” Gareth asked with a frown.

“What?” The anger on her face gave way to alarm. “Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”

Gareth raised his eyebrows. Madalena stepped back and he could see her swallow heavily.

“You…almost died last night. It…” she coughed to clear her throat. “Drink the fucking medicine, Gareth. Or so help me…”

“Jeez Maddie, calm down.”

“No, Gareth. This is important. You could have died. You could still die. And I…”

“Hey,” he said softly. “I’m okay. I’ve had worse than this before. Come here.”

She hesitated for a moment before moving to sink into the chair beside his bed, placing the cup back down on the nightstand. Gareth grabbed one of her hands before she had the chance to jerk away from him. She looked at him in surprise, but didn’t try to pull her hand free.

“About a year before you became Queen, I got this.” He used his free hand to push the sheet down to expose his right hip bone where a long jagged scar marred the skin.

Madalena gasped and the hand he wasn’t holding reached out to hover over him. She caught herself quickly and pulled back slightly, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

“Some idiot who thought he had what it took to be in the King’s Guard,” Gareth continued, staring at the scar so he wouldn’t be distracted by Madalena’s face. “Richard usually left all the guard stuff to me, but for some reason got involved with this guy. Said I was being unfair turning him away and that I should give him a chance.”

He rolled his eyes and Madalena laughed softly.

“Anyway, we move onto training with swords and shields. This guy could barely lift either and didn’t know a block from a parry. Almost died fifty times on the first day. At the end of the week I’d had enough. By this point most of the rest of them could hold their own against me if I didn’t try too hard, so I gave him a test. Survive against me for a few minutes and he could continue training. Lose and he…was…gone.”

Gareth stumbled over the end of the sentence as Madalena’s fingers trailed across his hip. She was watching him intently, listening to his story, and he realised she didn’t even know she was doing it. He cleared his throat and forced himself to not think about what else her fingers could do to him.

“Straight away, I knock him on his arse. But this kid was determined. Or stupid. Stands right back up and takes a swing at me with his sword. And misses me completely. He’d staggered out of a proper stance, so he ends up on his arse again. Eventually, I’d had enough, and go to knock him down when the kid gets lucky, I guess. He thrusts his sword out and slices into me.”

Madalena’s fingers twitched against his skin, the hand in his squeezing tightly.

“I hadn’t been wearing proper armour, but he was using a proper sword. Almost gutted me. I go down. Kid panics. Recruits panic. I’m bleeding out in the dirt surrounded by morons, pissed that I was gonna die so pathetically.”

“What happened?” Her voice was practically a whisper.

“I have no idea. Richard never told me. I must have blacked out though, coz the next thing I know, I’m waking up in my bed, all patched up.” He paused for a moment, wondering if he should lead the conversation where he wanted it to go. “It was my favourite scar until now.”

“Why?”

“Because it was the closest I’ve ever come to dying. But I didn’t.”

“And now…?” She trailed off.

“This is gonna be my favourite.” He said, gently tapping the skin near his injury with his free hand.

“Because it almost killed you too?”

“Because I got it killing the bastard who was trying to kill you.”

Gareth risked looking up at her. Madalena’s jaw was clenched, eyes focussed on a random spot on his bedroom wall.

“I…” she stood up suddenly, hand ripping shakily from his. “I’ve got to go.”

Gareth’s mouth dropped open but he couldn’t find the words. He went to grab her arm, but she twisted out of his reach and crossed the room.

“Just…drink your medicine.” She muttered, hand on the wooden door. “Please.”

The door slammed shut behind her at the same time Gareth’s head hit the pillow.

“ _Shit_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is partially written, but it's being a dick so it will probably be a few more days till that's out (especially as real life will be getting in the way this week). Anyway, hope you enjoyed it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for how long it has taken me to update, but this chapter was being an absolute dick and I just couldn't get myself happy with it. Still not 100% sure on it, but there we go. 
> 
> I am tempted to alter the ending of this slightly with actual smut, but we'll see how that goes (so keep an eye out for another chapter at some point). Anyway, enjoy!

It had been four days since Madalena had fled Gareth’s rooms. It hadn’t been what he’d said that had made her leave but rather her own reaction to it. She’d wanted to grab him, pull him to her, and kiss him senseless; only his injury and her own horror at her feelings had prevented her. She’d wanted to kiss plenty of people in the past, that hadn’t been the problem. The problem was the overwhelming sense of emotion that had accompanied the thought. She needed to stop running away, she knew that. But she also knew her feelings were getting the better of her. And that wasn’t something she could allow. Feelings, emotion, _love,_ made people weak and Madalena had been fighting her whole life to be anything other than weak.

She sat down heavily.

Madalena had never loved anyone. Not her parents, those bastards could rot in hell for all she cared. Not Galavant, not truly. And certainly not Richard or his brother. In fact, the only thing Madalena could remember having some semblance of love for, was Jenny; the goat she’d been forced to murder, cook, and eat when she was eight years old. If she really thought about it, her childhood explained a lot about her; growing attached to things, to people, meant it hurt more when they were taken away. Her throat tightened as her mind flashed back to Gareth bleeding out on a Valencian street.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror of her vanity, Madalena finally admitted it to herself. The fear that filled her when she thought of him dying, the blinding anger that bubbled to the surface whenever she thought of someone hurting him, it all pointed to that one little word. _Love._

She’d done it, somehow.

She’d fallen in love.

With _Gareth_.

“No one saw that coming,” she muttered aloud.

“Saw what coming?”

She jumped up, spinning around to face the very man who’d been occupying her thoughts.

“Gareth?” She said in surprise before her voice turned angry. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Queenie…” he warned her, hands held up in surrender. “The healers said I could get up, as long as I keep drinking that green shit and don’t do anything that could reopen the wound.”

She could see a bandage peeking out from the open collar of his shirt. It was clean and white, but she couldn’t help imagining it soaked in red. Stepping around her vanity stool, she moved towards him biting her lip as she did so.

“It’s been less than a week since you almost bled out on me,” she said, coming to stop just in front of him. “Are you really sure you should be out of bed?”

“Queenie, I was going mad in there. And Avery told me the guards said you were being a bigger bitch than usual.” He smirked at her. “Had to make sure you wouldn’t burn down the castle along with the rest of Valencia.”

Madalena frowned. So he knew about all that then. And who the fuck was Avery?

“Listen, Gareth, I’ve just had a lot on my mind the past few days. I’m sorry I didn’t find the time to come visit you…”

“Stop.” He said plainly, grabbing her gently by the shoulders. “Maddie, just stop. I can see right through the bullshit.”

Her mouth went dry. _Love is weakness_. The thought repeated through her head like a mantra. She brought her arms up and pushed Gareth’s hands from her shoulders. He grimaced, bringing up a hand to press lightly against his injured shoulder, and Madalena winced apologetically.

“This shit has had you majorly freaked out and I don’t get why…” he frowned at her. “I got the best fucking birthday fight a guy could ask for. All thanks to you.”

A smile flickered at the corner of her mouth.

“I’m glad,” she paused and took a small breath. “But I wish you hadn’t gotten so badly injured.”

He shrugged with his non-injured shoulder.

“I’m alive. Pissed that it’ll be a while before I can swing a sword again. But I’m _alive_.”

He grabbed one of her hands with his, squeezing gently. Madalena squeezed back.

“Hmm, then maybe we should put off your other birthday present for a few months,” she teased, her smile growing.

“Other birthday prese…”

“A guest arrived whilst you were recovering. He brings news.” She paused, a proper grin beginning to form on her face for the first time in days. “When you’re back to fighting fit, how would you like an unprovoked war with the Kingdom of Hortensia?”

There was a beat of silence before Gareth was grinning too.  “Queenie, I love you.”

“What…”

Madalena’s smile dropped from her face and she felt like she’d stopped breathing. Her lungs were still moving, she was still drawing in breath, but there was no air. Heat flickered up her back and spread up her neck, burning against her cheeks. It felt like the floor had dropped from beneath her and she was plummeting through the darkness.

Her hand slipped from his and Gareth’s grin vanished as his brain apparently caught up with his mouth.

“Shit.” He winced.

“I…”

“I didn’t mean…” he trailed off, staring awkwardly at Madalena who in turn was staring back at him in horror.

“You didn’t mean it or you didn’t mean to say it?” She asked him quietly, voice tight.

“Uh…” He winced again. “I didn’t mean to say it…”

Silence fell over both of them, though Madalena could swear she could hear her heart beating frantically in her chest. He loved her.

She couldn’t think of a reply, so instead of talking she did the first thing that came to mind – she kissed him.

Madalena tugged him towards her a bit too forcefully and Gareth grunted in pain against her mouth. She let go of the lapels of his shirt instantly and pulled back, apology already on her tongue. He stared at her in shock for a second before he let out a short laugh and pulled her into him again, crashing his mouth into hers.

The kiss was all teeth, messy and harsh, as if they both thought this wouldn’t last and were making the best of it. Madalena’s hands were clenching uncertainly at her sides, wanting to grab onto Gareth but loathing the idea of aggravating his injury again. Thankfully his hands were doing enough for the both of them; one was on her hip, fingers splaying down to dig into her arse, the other was on her ribcage, thumb resting along the line of her breast and fingers stretching to press into her back. His grip was going to leave bruises, little purple spots in the shape of his fingers, and Madalena moaned into his mouth at the idea of him marking her as his - proving that he was here, he was real, he was _alive._

He titled her backwards slightly to gain better access to her neck. Her hands flung to the back of his neck and Gareth hissed into her jawline as she pulled his injured shoulder. His grip on her tightened, preventing her from pulling away again, and his assault on her jaw and throat continued. He bit into the sensitive spot on her jaw below her ear and Madalena’s legs all but gave way beneath her. She only just caught the flash of pain that shot across Gareth’s face before he pulled her mouth back to his.

She pressed a hand gently to his uninjured shoulder and pushed him off.

“Gare…” she was breathing heavily, his name only just audible. “We need to stop.”

She groaned as his hands squeezed tighter on her body and against her better judgement allowed him to bury his head into her neck once more.

“Gareth,” she moaned. “If you don’t stop now, we won’t stop until you’re fucking me senseless and I’m pretty sure that would end with you bleeding out on me again.”

He made a noise of disagreement in the back of his throat, lips pressing harder into her shoulder, and Madalena almost gave in. But the memory of Gareth tinting her red with his blood was enough to make her back away, one hand holding firm on his chest.

“Stop,” she said firmly, eyes flicking up to lock with his. “Please.”

He closed his eyes and sighed heavily, but nodded and took a step back. Madalena was still breathing heavily, an ache between her thighs that had herself wondering just what the hell she was doing. She swallowed and let out a breath.

“To be continued?” She joked, though there was no humour in her voice.

He opened his eyes and his gaze burned into her. She couldn’t read the look on his face and it made her uneasy.

“Once this all sinks in, you’ll close yourself off,” he said blankly.

“What,” she said with a laugh. “Gareth, I…”

“I love you,” he cut her off, voice unwavering.

Madalena’s mouth parted with a soft gasp. There was a stark contrast between him saying it accidentally and firmly stating it to her. Something tightened in her chest and a jolt of fear ran up her spine. Maybe Gareth was right, maybe she couldn’t do this. Closing herself off to emotions like _love_ was how she protected herself from the inevitable pain.

“Listen, Gareth, I…”

Her eyes flicked around the room, mouth opening and closing a few times as she tried to find the words. Eventually her gaze landed on Gareth’s face and Madalena bit her lip before looking away again. Ignoring Gareth, running away from her problems, trying to pretend she didn’t feel what she did for him – none of that would work and she knew it. But she wasn’t ready – and wasn’t particularly sure she ever would be ready – to say the same words back.

She took in a deep breath through her nose and let it out through her mouth, her eyes focussing below Gareth’s chin.

“I set Valencia on fire because I couldn’t bear it if you died and I wanted them to suffer for it.”

Her words were rushed and shaky but she hoped Gareth could understand what she meant. Slowly she looked up at his face. A slight smile had appeared on his lips and Madalena sighed internally in relief.

“So, about this other birthday present?” He grinned.

All the tension in Madalena’s body released and she found herself grinning back. Her hand found his and she pulled him out the room. They had a Kingdom to invade. Together.


End file.
